Weisstronauts – Featuring Jaunty
The debut CD from Boston collective the Weisstronauts does indeed feature a song titled “Jaunty”. Featuring Jaunty also features plenty of twang; even the jazzy “Jaunty” is twangy.
Yet there’s more here than that. From the easy-natured slick-hick flow of “Mornin’ Ma” and the richer banjo, accordion, and acoustic/electric guitar mix of “Go Down, Moses”, the Weisstronauts (named for leader Pete Weiss) take many musical twists and turns.
Weiss is a studio hound with production and engineering credits that include Charlie Chesterman, Tom Leach, and most recently, Willard Grant Conspiracy’s Everything’s Fine. Naturally, he produces here, opting for a clean, uncluttered sound even dipping into ’60s pop psychedelia on “Psychedelic Whiplash” or fuzzy blues rock on “You’re In Control”. Humorously, a death-metal/garage-rock version of “Thus Spake Zarathustra” (the main theme from the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey) is left to the bare-bones drama of a booming drum as Weiss’ guitar traces the fanfare.
Those eclectic flavors, however, are brief stylistic sidesteps. Overall, this fourteen-song all-instrumental set smacks of gingham and bobbie socks and comes off as a warm kitsch tribute rather than retro worship.